Pineapple bun (bo lo bao)
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
菠蘿包 · bo lo baau
A soft, milky sweet bun under a crackly, golden sugar-cookie crust whose cracked pattern resembles a pineapple — there is no pineapple inside. Often served split with a thick slab of cold butter.
Pineapple bun (bo lo bao) is a Hong Kong bread, ready in about 2 hours 36 minutes and made with bread flour and all-purpose flour. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 16 min
- Rest
- 1 h 45 min
- Total
- 2 h 36 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 346
Ingredients
Dough
Crackle topping
Glaze
Method
Step 1
Mix the bread flour (opens in a new tab), yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt, egg (opens in a new tab) and milk (opens in a new tab), then knead in the butter (opens in a new tab) until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky (about 10 minutes by machine). Cover and leave until doubled, about 1 hour.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Beat the topping butter (opens in a new tab) and icing sugar (opens in a new tab), then the yolk, and mix in the flour, milk powder (opens in a new tab), baking soda (opens in a new tab) and baking powder (opens in a new tab) to a soft dough. Chill.
- 5 min
Step 3
Divide the bread dough into 8, shape into tight balls and place on a lined tray. Prove until puffy, about 45 minutes.
Step 4
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 190 °C. Divide the topping into 8, flatten each between sheets of cling film into thin rounds and drape over the buns. Brush with the yolk glaze.
- 7 min
- 190°C
Step 5
Bake until deep golden and crackled. Cool a little, then serve warm — split and filled with a slab of cold butter (opens in a new tab), if you like.
- 16 min
- 190°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
About this dish
- Origin
- Hong Kong · Well documentedMore food from Hong Kong
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Pastries
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked
- Taste
- sweet, buttery
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Make-ahead
- Cook more with
- Bread flour · All-purpose flour · Dried yeast · Sugar · Egg · Milk
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk, unsalted butter, milk powder, butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg, egg yolk
- Contains: Wheatfrom bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder
- Contains: Glutenfrom bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
346 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 105 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 10%
- Carbohydrate 60%
- Fat 30%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 346 kcal | 328 kcal |
| Protein | 8.5 g | 8.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 51.8 g | 49.1 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 50.3 g | 47.7 g |
| Sugars | 14.6 g | 13.8 g |
| Added sugars | 13 g | 12.3 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g | 1.3 g |
| Fat | 11.6 g | 11 g |
| Saturated fat | 6.3 g | 6 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 94 mg | 89 mg |
| Sodium | 227 mg | 215 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 0.5 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 115 mg
- Calcium
- 61 mg
- Iron
- 2.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 107 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 170 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: butter.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep the topping cold while shaping — warm topping slides off the buns.
Common mistakes
- A warm, soft topping slides off the buns — keep it chilled and work quickly.
- Rolling the topping too thick, so it doesn't crackle.
Storage
- Best on the day; keep airtight 1 day or freeze.
Reheating
- Warm for 5 minutes at 160 °C to crisp the top.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 35 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 45 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 16 min at 190 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 2 h 36 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | Flour | 300 g | 100% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 155 g | 51.5% |
| Egg | Egg | 50 g | 16.7% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 45 g | 15% |
| Unsalted butter | Fat | 30 g | 10% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 5 g | 1.7% |
| Salt | Salt | 3 g | 1% |
- Total flour
- 300 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 57.3%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 1% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
- Sugar 15% — an enriched, sweet dough; rises more slowly and browns quickly.
- Fat 10% — a rich, tender dough.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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